DIY Website vs Pro Designer

My favourite customer is someone who has been brave and has tried to build their own website but found it tricky or unsatisfactory. This is because they will know what’s involved and there’s no shame in that. Is this you?

A couple of years ago I quoted to do a logo, but the client decided he could not afford it and certainly a website was going to be out of reach. I don’t know if he did it himself or went elsewhere, however, I recently discovered that the ‘logo’ is not really a logo, more of an illustration with another logo embedded within it. Check out information on logos and branding here. Using an illustration as a logo may be a bit tricky to see and certainly can be difficult to be used on certain media in a consistent manner, hey-ho.

But the website – oh my goodness! This is on Wix and really does look like a school project. This site would have been on Wix for a few years and even if the cost is only £100 per month, multiply that by 36 and you’ve spent £3600, where a simple site would have been far less.

So if you’re wondering whether to build your own website or hire a pro? Let’s think about it:

Nearly every Hosting company has a web builder platform that they often encourage you to use. In addition you could go to Wix or Weebly or even Yell and build your site there, but will it end up cost effective?

DIY Website – The “I Can Do This” Approach

Best for: Budget-aware dreamers, weekend warriors, and people who think “How hard can it be?”

Pros:

• Cheap (or even free, if you don’t mind a domain name like mycoolbusiness.wixsite.com.
• No need to try and get your vision across as you’re the boss and can change things any time you like!
• Bragging rights when you tell people, “Yeah, I made it.”

Cons:

• It can take forever if you don’t know what you’re doing and could still take a long time even if you get the hang of it.
• May look like it was designed in 2003 (unless you have a good eye for design), but even if you’ve done a reasonable job, the trained eye will spot all kinds of glitches.
• Could become a full-time hobby you never signed up for
• The when it’s done it’s done, isn’t it?
• On-going monthly costs to the web builder site. This means that you continue to pay for the privilege of having your site with them and inevitably the cost of the site becomes more expensive than using a pro web designer in the long run.

Hiring a Professional – The “Get It Right” Plan

Best for: Not wanting to look like a school project, serious businesses, you want visitors to your site or e-commerce sites.

Pros:

• Sleek, professional, and doesn’t scream “I filled in the blanks in a template”
• A professional will add in and know about SEO, speed, and all those behind-the-scenes things that make Google happy
• You get to focus on your actual business instead of wrestling with plugins

Cons:

• Costs more than “free” (but hey, quality isn’t cheap), and if you add up the number of months you’ve spent to the web builder hosting and compare that to a pro designer, you will find there’s a point where the designer starts to actually become cheaper. Strange but true!
• Communication is key, you may need to wait for the designer to assess your needs and work out the best way to do the magic.
• Need to find someone good (because there’s always that one guy who vanishes after taking your deposit)

Conclusion:

• Want a simple website and don’t mind a challenge? DIY away!
• Want something professional, scalable, and stress-free? Hire a pro.

So… how brave are you feeling? 😆